'Supernatural' star previews new episode

Looking for some appropriately themed programming for Halloween night? The latest season of The CW's "Supernatural" has seen a strained Dean freed from the warzone that was Purgatory and back on the monster hunt.

Series star Jensen Ackles spoke with Zap2It on the set of the latest episode, which finds Dean taking to the high seas in aid of his fellow Purgatory veteran Benny. "I liked the episode because I got to be on the water. Pirate vampires -- or as I like to call them, vampirates," he joked.

All kidding aside, hunting vampirates will find Dean's worlds colliding, as he is forced to come clean to younger brother Sam about his new running buddy Benny. "Benny essentially calls Dean and says, 'Hey, I'm in a sticky situation here, I could use a friend' and because of the relationship that was formed in Purgatory, Dean's like 'I gotta go,'" Ackles explains. "I think that we all know that Dean's that guy. He's very loyal, but what's interesting is that his loyalty is now residing with a vampire, a monster ... and that obviously puts a strain on the relationship between the brothers. Sam even says 'You know, push comes to shove, I might be the one that kills Benny,' and Dean basically says, 'We'll cross that bridge when we get to it.'"

"I think for a show going into its eighth season, curveballs like that are awesome," Jensen says. "I love the relationship that he's built with this monster. They have earned the respect of each other in such a foreign way."

Indeed, the bond between Benny and Dean after their harrowing experiences in Purgatory has thrown a wrench into the relationship of the Winchester brothers. "You hear these war stories of soldiers. You get a southern guy and a guy from New York, two completely opposite people, and they get tossed in a foxhole together and they come back closer than brothers," Ackles says. "I wouldn't pretend to know exactly what kind of bonds are established in war, and I think that if I was to have an idea of what it is, I'm trying to emulate that with the relationship with Benny. These two guys have been through their personal hell and back."

Since their return from Purgatory, the relationship between the brothers and angel Castiel has shown signs of strain. Ackles and co-star Misha Collins hint at Castiel's own internal struggle as the primary cause of the rift. "Dean was hell-bent on getting the hell out of Purgatory, whereas Cas, I think, to a certain extent, felt so burdened with guilt that he felt like he was paying penance there," Collins explains. "He felt that he almost deserved it."

Check out the new episode of "Supernatural" will air tonight on The CW!